I think Magneto, apoc, sinister and the hellfire club as the most obvious villains, and the sentinels who are created by trask so really we have had all the major villains so far. even cough cough dark phoenix...

X-Men (2000)-Magneto is the main villain.
X2-Magneto is an anti-hero, William Stryker is the main villain.
X3-Magneto is the main villain.
XMOW-Magneto doesn't appear at all.
XMFC-Magneto is the co-protagonist until the very end.
TW-Magneto only makes a cameo.
XMDOFP-Trask/Sentinels are the main villain(s).

X-Men (2000)-Magneto is the main villain.
X2-Magneto is an anti-hero, William Stryker is the main villain.
X3-Magneto is the main villain.
XMOW-Magneto doesn't appear at all.
XMFC-Magneto is the co-protagonist until the very end.
TW-Magneto only makes a cameo.XMDOFP-Trask/Sentinels are the main villain(s).

Whatever. We've had 7 X-Men films, with an 8th being made right after this one. Magneto has been the central villain twice (X1,3). This exaggeration that we keep using the same villains is ridiculous.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loki882

X-Men (2000)-Magneto is the main villain.
X2-Magneto is an anti-hero, William Stryker is the main villain.
X3-Magneto is the main villain.
XMOW-Magneto doesn't appear at all.
XMFC-Magneto is the co-protagonist until the very end.
TW-Magneto only makes a cameo.
XMDOFP-Trask/Sentinels are the main villain(s).

Two out of Seven-not bad.

I don't count the Wolverine films. Why would Magneto be the main villain in a Wolverine film?

Is it really that ridiculous? When he's not the major villain he's still one of the main characters in every X-team film. Doesn't happen in the comics and the result is that it's a huge and anticipated event every time he returns.

And in an aside, in X2 he tried to kill the whole human race! Given the numbers involved that makes him a pretty huge villain not just an anti hero, and at least as much of a villain as Stryker, even if there is no clue that he will do this earlier on. Even in X1 as primary villain what he was doing was nowhere near as villainous ..trying to change world leaders into mutants not knowing that his machine harmed humans.

So a major villain in all 3 of the films in the original trilogy. FC is more a Magneto (& Xavier) story - the sympathetic origin story of a great villain - than a Shaw story. He finishes as the lead villain recruiting everyone else and tried to nuke all those humans. DOFP hasn't happened yet but we'll of course have 2 Magnetos starring in that as well. So 2/7 main villain shows to you...6/5 major appearances to me. Magneto is by far my favourite X-villain and I love both film versions of him. But X-Men has much more to offer. It's like The Joker in Arkham games or Wolverine in X-films (but at least he's an X-Man rather than villain). They're everyone's favourites but as a result featured even more than they should. I also love film Loki but if he turned up in Avengers 2, even as a goodie, I'd be like 'Enough!'.

He's one of the best villains of all time in anything, no debate there. As is The Joker and I don't want him in every Batman film. Both properties have a great rogues gallery and you appreciate them even more when you have at least a one film break from them every now and then.

The difference is Magneto is as much a part of the X-men mythos as Xavier. There would be no X-men without either character.

Also Magneto has been a member, and has led, the X-men.

Yes but what percentage of the comics has he featured in? Why not as many as less significant X-men? Because he has spent the majority of his time as a villain and no one villain should be around for too long in one stretch (while being a villain) as it limits the scope of the stories, and in film, the impression of the scope of the stories to the GA.

As an X-Man (Fassbender FC style) he can feature as much as he wants..even every film. But as a less conflicted major villain (Mckellen) he shouldn't have been so everpresent, maybe taking a break in X2 for eg. Harry Osborn can be in every Spider-man film, 6/7 in a row if desired. But once he becomes a villain and turns into Green Goblin the number of consecutive films he should appear in should be limited (IMO) allowing the rest of the rogues gallery to shine also.

Taking McKellen's Magneto out of X2 is probably one of the worst ideas I've read.

I didn't say take him out from the existing story. Do a non Magneto sequel and do a Stryker story later. And then everyone will be much more up for a Magneto return alongside another villain for X3 or later.

It's a shame as aside from deaths and cures, there were some great potential elements there that could have made a solid 3rd & 4th sequel in the current continuity before being forced to go into the past. A definitive Dark Phoenix story in X3 where that would be the focus of the entire film. And then an X4 Cure/Return of Magneto with Brotherhood army story with no Phoenix distraction that could have justified the introduction of the X-Men not yet covered like Gambit, Angel & Psylocke (as team members), the return of Nightcrawler and more Kelsey Beast.

The thing with Magneto is that in all the films he has appeared, outside of the Wolverine cameo, is he takes a major role. One where a major part of the plot revolves around him. Where Wolverine almost always has a say in the protagonist story of the film, Magneto does for the antagonist. Even at the end of X2 and First Class, he is the real threat.

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